"We shouldn't declare him the new German Tour winner right away" - Jens Voigt excited about Florian Lipowitz's prospect
Cycling
Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe makes no secret of its ambition to grow a Tour de France winner within its ranks. Whether they're German... or not. But now it seems they've found a real gem in Florian Lipowitz who incidentally happens to tick off both boxes at once.
"Lipowitz has undergone a rapid development in recent years," said Eurosport expert Jens Voigt about the 24-year-old. "He came to cycling as a career changer from biathlon, and there's no end in sight to his development."
He worked steadily through the under-23 ranks and eventually caught an eye of then BORA - hansgrohe for the 2023 season. In his debut professional season, he immediately won GC of the popular Czech Tour (2.1) and the next year Lipowitz already made strides at Vuelta a Espana, finishing 7th overall. Where are his limits?
"We shouldn't declare him the new German Tour winner right away, but simply give him time," Voigt warned. "It would be fantastic if he could win one of the big World Tour stage races like Paris-Nice - when was that last in Germany? Let the boy develop in peace."
That victory seems to be just around corner after Lipowitz's second place at Paris-Nice and the team seems to agree that the 24-year-old is ready for the "big boy schedule" with start at the upcoming Itzulia Basque Country and later Critérium du Dauphiné - a famous preparation race for Tour de France. Is Grande Boucle debut in the German's cards for 2025?
The Dauphiné nomination could be a sign. Lipowitz would then accompany Primoz Roglic with whom he so-successfully raced last Vuelta. "Riding the Tour as the second man behind Primoz Roglic is a good solution," said the Eurosport expert. "The pressure is on the Slovenian, and Lipowitz can ride in his slipstream. Given his development, I could imagine him being allowed to compete in a national Tour next year as captain."
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